We must drop the idea that change comes slowly. Today changes come fast; and we must adjust our mental habits so we can comfortably accept the idea of stopping one thing and beginning another overnight. We must discard the idea that past routines, past ways of doing things, are probably the best ways. On the contrary, we must assume there probably is a better way to do almost everything. We must stop assuming that a thing which has never been done before cannot be done at all. - -Donald M. Nelson

Its time to awaken to the fact that we don’t have a health problem, nor a social care problem, nor a youth problem, nor even a safety problem, we have a village problem. In our heart, we know the solution to each does not lie in reforming silo by silo but in organizing our silos the way people organize their lives, so that the neighbourhood becomes our primary unit of analysis and change.

We live in a world in which we need to share responsibility. It’s easy to say, ‘It’s not my child, not my community, not my world, not my problem.’ Then there are those who see the need and respond. I consider those people my heroes. -- Fred Rogers

“Loneliness is not just something for individual Canadians to solve on their own” says Susan Pinker, psychologist and author of The Village Effect, a book about how face-to-face communication is linked to good health, longevity and happiness. “It’s a public health problem that has to be addressed in the way our cities are designed, the way our educational systems are run, the way our health care is considered and managed, and how we take care of the most vulnerable people in society — the very young, the very old, and those who are sick or fragile. Social isolation must be tackled at all levels of government.”

A key challenge in today’s world of constant change is to realize that traditional leadership concepts and methods, while appropriate for current projects, are often counter-productive to the kind of transformational capacity building

I believe these revolutionary times call for revolutionary thinking. And yet it often seems that we are entering this revolutionary age with ideas, leaders and institutions that are better suited for a world that no longer exists.

"Knowledge builds on the past and has its place. Wisdom is beyond time. It’s the direct perception of reality as it is. And in this direct seeing of what is lies the potential of transformation—a transformation that is not merely a redecoration of the past but a transformation of humanity that embodies the eternally new.”

“Exemplary leaders reward dissent. They encourage it. They understand that, whatever momentary discomfort they experience as a result of being told they might be wrong, it is more than offset by the fact that the information will help them make better decisions."

“The future is very much like history. It simply means we're looking forward to creating knowledge about our future and using it to effectively plan and design a better future for every aspect of life.”

Instead of the ethos of manipulation, control, and dependence, the ecological paradigm emphasizes the value of capacity building and innovation, that is, facilitating and nurturing self-organization in the individual and community as a necessary basis for ‘systems health’ and sustainability.

As you navigate through the rest of your life, be open to collaboration. Other people and other people's ideas are often better than your own. Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you, spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.

It time to awaken to the fact that we don’t have a health problem, nor a social care problem, nor a youth problem, nor even a safety problem, we have a village problem. In our heart, we know the solution to each does not lie in reforming silo by silo but in organizing our silos the way people organize their lives, so that the neighbourhood becomes our primary unit of analysis and change.

Knowledge comes from the past, so it’s safe. It is also out of date. It’s the opposite of originality. Experience is built from solutions to old situations and problems. This is lazy. Experience is the opposite of being creative. If you can prove you’re right you’re set in concrete. You cannot move with the times or with other people. Your mind is closed. You are not open to new ideas.